" WHAT IS A SACRIFICE "

You know I sincerely enjoy sharing with you, the preparation keeps me in the Word Of God studying and learning. One may think of it as a Sacrifice. This week Lord Willing we will once and for all learn what a Sacrifice is. The word Sacrifice implies giving something that costs the giver in terms of self, time, or money. To give sacrificially requires more than a token effort or gift. God wants us to give voluntarily, but he wants it to mean something. Giving God what costs you nothing does not demonstrate commitment. Sacrifices / Offerings " Doing it for the right reasons, " now let's look back. God's Perfect Moral Nature demands that the penalty for sin be death; however, a person could offer an animal to God as a substitute for himself, symbolizing the person's faith in the merciful, forgiving God. But the people were offering sacrifices and forgetting their significance! The very act of sacrifice showed that they had once agreed to follow God wholeheartedly. But all this time their hearts were not in it. We may fall into the same pattern when we participate in Religious Activities, Tithe, or Attend Church out of Habit or Conformity rather than out of heartfelt love and obedience. God wants Righteousness, not Empty Ritual. LAST POINT: So that we're perfectly clear there are numerous places in the Bible where the theme " TO OBEY IS BETTER THAN SACRIFICE " is stated ( Psalm 40:6-8; 51:16, 17; Proverbs 21:3; Isaiah 1:11-17; Jeremiah 7:21-23; Hosea 6:6; Micah 6:6-8; Matthew 12:7; Mark 12:33; Hebrews 10:8,9). Now, what do you think, hopefully you checked out some of these verses for conformation. Was Samuel saying that Sacrifice is unimportant? No, I'm confident that he was urging Saul to look at his reasons for making the Sacrifice rather than at the Sacrifice itself. A Sacrifice was a Ritual transaction between Man and God that Physically demonstrated a between them. But if the person's heart was not truly repentant or if he truly did not love God, the Sacrifice was a hollow ritual. Religious ceremonies or rituals are empty unless they are performed with an attitude of Love and Obedience " Being Religious " (going to church, serving on a committee, or giving to a charity) is not enough if we do not act out of devotion and obedience to God. Until Next Time... Jim,